All three victims were shot by Crystal Gambino while they were in bed together. Police have stated that they received a 911 call from a relative of Gambino identified as her brother-in-law, who stated, “My sister-in-law has told her family that she killed her husband, that she caught him sleeping with another woman, that she cleaned up the bullet cases [sic] and took care of the body … she’s moderately crazy, so we don’t know … this isn’t the first time she’s made up stuff before.”

Police were then dispatched to the home where they found the naked bodies of the victims. Gambino had placed the body of Stephanie Sanchez in a wheelbarrow and put her on the backyard burn pit. After Gambino killed the trio, she picked up her 9-year-old daughter from school and dropped her off at a relative’s house. That is where police found and arrested her for the triple homicide.

According to family and court records, Gambino and her husband had a troubled relationship. In 2009, she filed a temporary restraining order on her husband and started divorce proceedings. The proceedings were later dropped as the couple tried to reconcile. Crystal Gambino was a musician in a local alternative rock band. Her husband was described as a good father and Christian by friends who knew him.